Findings… :D

I found this advertisement of Aljazeera as campaign called ‘hear the human sroty’ at the station and this let me stand in front of it to think deeply about women’s rights furthermore human’s basic rights. In recent years, although many people enjoy the rights and freedoms, there are still many countries which have injustice, inequality, violence and exploitation against women.According to the ‘Measuring the Global Gender Gap (Schwab, et al., 2013)’, the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific region were ranked in the last place as the worst areas for economic, educational, political gender gap and women’s health and survival relative to that of men. These countries considerably adhere to old custom which women are submissive and humble. In particular, Saudi Arabia and India have had big issues of women’s rights. However, they have started new movements in order to change their long-lasting conventions in terms of passive women in their societies as if other developed countries had gone through. These countries are taking small steps toward enhancing women’s rights.

In 2006, the Gulabi Gang is a remarkable women’s movement led by Sampat Pal Devi in the Banda District of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India which is in the poorest region. (GulabiGang, n.d.) This group originally started to discipline oppressive men. However, currently they are protesting against rigid caste divisions, female illiteracy, domestic violence, child labour and child marriages. (AlJazeera, 2014) This women’s group was identified as ‘Pink’ Gang since the members unify pink saris with bamboo sticks. (GulabiGang, n.d.) Although the members of Gulabi Gang are poor, they are struggling to solve the problem about fair public rationing of food for residents who live below the poverty line in India as well as women’s rights by pursuing direct action.

We are riding a wave of many of the rights and freedoms nowadays. Since activists have strived to change in our society, which enables our world to be changed better through social movements by pursuing new thoughts and worth. The Disobedient Objects, this exhibition is comprised of diverse objects which had influences as considerable part of political, cultural and social movements. The sections of displayed objects were divided by Making Worlds, Solidarity, A Multitude of Struggles and Speaking Out. All works were taken by people’s own hands with limited resources to make changes all over the world.

The banner of Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp was hung in midair near entrance by catching my eyes. The peace camp was a social movement consisted of women only in order to protest nuclear weapons which were located at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire, England. The Welsh group “Women for Life on Earth” arrived in that area on the 5th of September in 1981. They sent a letter was written ‘We fear for the future of all our children and for the future of the living world which is the basis of all life’ to the Base Commander and disapproved that the British government decided to allow 96 Cruise nuclear missiles to be placed in the base. (Hipperson, 2000) The base firstly restricted by arresting, taking women to court and sending to prison in 1982. It was lasted from in 1981 to in 2000.

This protesting only involved women who lived outside at the operational nuclear base during 19 years. The presence of women signified a new perspective to the peace movement at that time, since this situation was significant change as the women who were reserved for men traditionally. It was legitimising the resist against nuclear weapons which were placed in male-dominated political places, the military bases RAF Greenham Common, in terms of difference of gender. Furthermore, for the safety of women’s children and future generations of children, the poster of peace camp on display was well revealed bythe subtle sensitivity that is unique to women, even though the poster was a object of protesting. And the symbols of peace, women and children in the poster were in stark contrast to militarised atmosphere of the base.

Before creating my own typefaces for zine project, I went to whitechapel gallery in order to see Fraser Muggeridge’s the Mimeographica Alphabetica Project. This exhibition showcased a stencilled and printed alphabet by using a manual mimeograph machine as well as materials such as stencil lettering tools and guides which are designed with a group of welling secondary school students. They were to become reimagined with new forms, colours, materials through different printing processes. Many handmade processes of creating abstract alphabets led the possibilities and constraints of an obsolete technology to become a creative tool in the design and production of letterforms. These works of reinvented alphabets enabled me to realise typography can be the process of writhing with prefabricated letters. Many experimentations demonstrated the potential of pre-digital printing technologies rather than focusing on digital printing. It can be obtaining unique characteristics which different typefaces do not have in digital era from unpredictable results of the manual machine, even though this machine is not perfect. Each method of production within history reflected on typography changes diversely.

I gave presentation about my zine project on last friday. This day became a big challenge for me because I presented in front of audiences in English by explaining women’s rights all over the world. But, at the same time, it was good learning opportunity to reflect other classmates’ presentations and learn interesting knowledge & information from them. Besides, I realised that how many people have interested in this issue and gender inequality has still come up with significant problems in our society.

On the lovely sunday afternoon, I went to zine fair in Dalston and couldn’t find the place to be held zine fair since this area was not familiar to me as well as the place which was opened zine fair was quite small scale and included few people who just showed several zines. Even though it was not huge amount of zines, I found some of interesting zines women’s drawing images were used. These zines did consist of many images only rather than much contents. Besides, she did not use some diverse printing methods and did photocopied by using different coloured papers. But, I was impressed about rough texture of photocopied papers and I will experiment, using this print-making method for my women zine. This was a good experience to make plans such as how to bind, print and organise images & texts.

In afternoon, I saw sunshine trough window. At the same time, shape of window made huge shadow. This shadow was taken place with leaves of trees and reflected diverse movements of light. Its light looked like heat shimmer. And all of dark shadow & light made up fantastic light fablic with edge of shadow. The most interesting was that this dark shadow & light was changing its angle and shape gradually, as long as time goes by, and then this natural artwork was faded totally. Finally this was remained empty space.

– waterdrop

When it was raining, much waterdrop remained on window and then the weather become sunshin! This waterdrop which was staying on window was reflected spectrum of light because of sun light. I found that waterdrop has rainbow colours of light.